Hydraulic operator



March 17, 1959 w. A. RAY

HYDRAULIC OPERATOR Filed Dec. 6, 1956 INVENTOR, WMM/v A. @AY

ATTORNEYS.

March 1 7, 1959 w. A. RAY* v2,877,625 HYDRAULIC OPERATOR Filed Dec. e, 195e 5 She-ets-.Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS- March 17, 1959 w. A. RAY n 2,877,625

HYDRAULIC OPERATOR Filed Dec. 6, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3V I N VEN TOR, v v h//L L /AM A. @AY

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent() HYDRAULIC OPERATOR William A. Ray, North Hollywood, Calif., assignor to General Controls Co., a corporation of California Application December 6, 1956, serial No. 626,740

z claims. (ci. 6ta-sz) This invention relates to hydraulic apparatus including a motor driven pump for creating liquid pressure to per-4 form work. The pump and the motor are enclosed in a common chamber which also forms a reservoir for the liquid. A form of this type of apparatus is described in a prior application, led Iune 6, 1955, under Serial No. 513,423, in the name of William A. Ray.

In that prior application, the liquid pressure created by the pump is caused to move an actuator in a linear direction for operating a load, such as a furnace damper or the like. This is accomplished by subjecting a movable wall, such as a diaphragm, to the liquid pressure. When the load has been moved to its desired position, a limit switch is operated by the actuator to deenergize the motor that drives the pump. In this position, the liquid is prevented from flowing out of the pressure chamber bounded by the flexible wall, and the actuator isthereby maintained in its operating position. i

When it is desired to return the damper to its original position, a relief valve is caused to open, permitting return of the liquid from the diaphragm chamber into the reservoir. v

It is one of the objects of this invention to improve in general this type of apparatus.

It is another object of this invention to provide a more compact and simple arrangementfor the elements of the apparatus, and especially byproviding an angularly movable. actuator instead of a linearly movable one, and located in the reservoir chamber.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment ofthe invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specication. This form'will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is'best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an apparatus incorporating the invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views taken along planes corresponding-to lines2-2,3,-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a simplified diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus to indicate the relative arrangements of the essential elements.

A housing or casing 1 serves to contain oil or other suitable liquid indicated by reference character 2 in Figs. l and 4. This casing 1 conveniently supports a frame 3 which may be -a casting. This frame is supported as by the aid of screws 4 engaging in the bosses 5 extending upwardly from the bottom wall of the casing 1.

Integrally formed on the frame 3 is a pump structure 6. This pump structure 6 may be made substantially identical with the pump structure described and claimed in the said prior application. It has an outlet nipple 7 to which is coupled a llexible hose 8. This ilexible hose 8 is bent arcuately to discharge through a nipple structure 9 to ports 10 and 11 (Fig. 4). These ports lead to the lower end of a cylinder 12 mounted in the frame 3. The upper end of the cylinder 12 is closed by a cover 13, formed by a casting.

Located within the cylinder 12 is a piston structure 14 (Fig. 4). This piston structure is vertically movable within the cylinder 12. An O-ring 15 located in the groove in the piston structure 14 precludes the entry of liquid past the piston structure 14 to the upper portion of the piston structure 14.

The piston structure 14 carries a bar 16 extending through a clearance aperture in the cover 13. This bar may be circular in cross-section as indicated in Fig. 3. Its upper portion is formed with teeth to provide a. rack 17 engaging the teeth of a gear segment 18.

Accordingly, when the liquid under pressure enters the lower portion of cylinder 12 via ports 10 and 11, the piston structure 14 is urged upwardly to urge the gear segment 18 in a counterclockwise direction. This gear segment is shown as appropriately mounted upon a horizontal shaft 19 as, for example, by the key 21. A pair of spring rings 20 (Fig. 1),'c`iooperating in grooves in shaft 19, confine the segment 18 against'axial movement.

In order to guide the bar 16 in its vertical reciprocating movement, use is madejof'a guiding roller 22 (Figs. 3 and 4) having a concave face corresponding with the cylindrical surface of the bar 16. This roller is mounted for free rotation by the aid of a pin 23 extending across ears 24. These ears 24l'are'sh'own as integral with the cover 13. f

In order to provide a connection between the bar 16 and the piston 14, the bar 16 is provided with a hemidescribed hereinafter. 'It' is suicient for the present to` note that the axis 25 of the shaft 19 (Fig. l) is horizontal and extends somewhat above the oil level 26.

The counterclockwise movement of segment 18 is opposed by a coil spring 27 (Figs. l and 3) disposed around the shaft 19. The left-hand end 28 of this coil spring, as shown most clearly'in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, is anchored to the segment 18. engage a hook at'the top of'a standard 30. This standard 30 may be conveniently.` mounted on the frame 3 by one of the screws 4 thathold the frame 3 in position on the bosses 5.` v f The pump structure 6 is operated by the aid of an electric motor 31 .having stator laminations 32 and a rotor 33 (Figs. 3 and 4).- This rotor is coupled to the pump by the aid of a link 35 having its upper end eccentrically mounted on the shaft of the rotor 33.

The motor 31 may be resiliently mounted on the frame 3 as by the aid of a plate 40 between the rubber elements 41 (Fig. 1) disposed between theheads of the mounting screws 42 and frame 3.

As described in said prior application, when it is de sired to rotate the shaft 19 .in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 4, oil under pressure is fed through the ports 10 and 11 to elevate the piston 14. This movement results in winding up rof the coil spring 27. If it is desired to hold the rack 17 and piston 14 in elevated position, motor v3,1i is deenergized, and a relief valve 43a from cylinder 12 (Fig. 5) is kept closed. When it is desired to release the rack 17, the relief valve 43a is opened, permitting escape of oil from the space beneath the piston 14 back to the casing 1. IControl of the relief valve is elected by an electromagnet structure 43.

Its right-hand `end 29 is upturned tof Th'e'casing''is covered bytheuuid-tight cover member 44. Cooperating anges on the casing 1 and the cover member 44 serve for the accommodation of the screws 45. A gasket 46 may be` interposed between these two members. The left-hand endv of shaft 19 projects out of the casing 1 for connection to an operator or actuator 47. Thus, to facilitate such a connection, the extreme left-hand end of the shaft 19 is shown as being noncircular, upon which a disk 4S is mounted. 'This disk abuts against a shoulder 49 formed between the noncircular end and the shaft.A A central screw Sil is threaded into the end to hold the disk 48 in place.

The shaft to the right of shoulder 49 is flattened on both sides as indicated at 51 (Fig. 2). Connection between the actuator 47 and thedisk 43 may be effected by the screws 52, passing throughthe upper portion of the actuator and threadedinto thedisk 48. This disk may have a boss 48a engaging within an aperture in the actuator 47.

The flattened portion 51 of shaft 19 serves'to key a cam 53 to the shaft 19. The cam 53 is held in place against the shoulder defined by this portion 51 by the aid of a spring ring S4.

The shaft 19 may be appropriately supported in any desired manner by theside walls of the casing 1. In the present instance, it is shown as supported by a pair of needle bearing structures. Each needle bearing structure includes a bearing housing 55 having an external threaded periphery and supporting the needle bearings 56. The bearing-housing 55 is appropriately held in lace by the aid of a nut 57 disposed inside the casing 1,

and threaded on the threads of. the housingSS. The.

flange 53 of housing 55 and nut 57 thus clamp against the wall of casing 1, and sealingwashers 57a are provided between these elements and the wall.

The nut 57, as well as the llange S8 of housing 55, have peripheries readily capableof being grasped by ,the fingers for removing or replacingthe bearing structure. A split ring S' serves 4to limit the inward movement of cach housing and appropriate packing provisionsindi.-` cated generally by reference character. 60 are provided for maintaining a seal around the shaft 19.

As shown most clearly, in Figs. l and 2, the cam 53 causes angular movement of a shaft 61 adapted to operate a plurality of switch mechanisms 62, 63 and 64. These switch mechanisms are mountedupon an insulation base 65 supported on posts ,66 extending from the cover member 44. The cover member 44 is provide-d generally with a peripheral wall 6'! over which extends a sheet metal cover 68 for housing the switch mechanisms.

Each of the switchmechanisms is provided with a push rod or button 69 adapted to be urged inwardly by the associated spring arm 70. Each arm 70 is mounted at its left-hand end, as viewed in Fig. 2, so as to permit it to be flexed by av corresponding cam 71. Each cam 71 contacts the corresponding arcuate cam follower I2 mounted upon the lower surface of the arm 70. Each `of these cams 71 is mounted upon the shaft 61. The shaft 61 may be appropriately journaled in. brackets 73 formed integrally with the cover member 44.

One of the pluralityof circuit controllers 62, 63 or 64 can `operate as a limit switch for deenergizing the motor 31.. .A i Y The shaft 61 ismoved lby* rthe aid'of thearrn 73a'fa`stened to the shaft 61 and arrynga follower roller 74 for cooperation with cam 53. '1`his'arrn73aV extends through an opening'75 in'that portion of the cover 44 which extends beyond the casing '1. x

Those circuit controllers 62, 63 and u64 which are not utilized as a limit switch, may be used to control auxiliary circuits, such as for controlling blower motors or valves.

When it is desired to operate a load, the circuit for motor 32-33 is energized as by closing a switch. This circuit includes one of the circuit controllers 62, 63 or 64. The motor operates 'pump 6, the relief valve 43a being closed. Accordingly, oil under pressure is supplied through ports 16 and 11 beneath the piston 14 to elevate it and thereby to operate rack 16; this causes pinion segment 18 to move in acounterclockwise direction. This movement is resiliently opposed by spring 27.

Actuator 47 is correspondingly moved. The cam 53, at appropriate points of angular travel of shaft 19, operates the circuit controllers 62, 63, 64, one of which interrupts the circuit for motor 32-33. The relief valve 43o remaining closed, the piston 14 is retained by lluid pressures in its elevated position. When it is desired to return the actuator 47 to its final position, the relief valve 43a is opened by energization'of electromagnet 43. The' angularly in one direction; a rack having teeth engagingV the pinion for urging the pinion in the opposite direction, l

said rack being located in the casing; va piston connected to the lower end of thev rack; a cylinder in which the piston operates; said cylinder being disposed so that its lower portion is below the level of the liquid in the container; said cylinder having an upper opening through which the rack extends with clearance, and through which opening liquid from the container may pass an electric motor having a rotor, and at least partly immersed in the liquid; a pump for the liquid operated by the motor and entirely immersed in the liquid; means in the container for forming a supply port from the pump to the cylinder and a relief port from the pump to the liquid; means controlling the relief port; a removable sealing cover for the container; an actuator coupled to that portion of the shaft which extends from the container; a cam also mounted on said portion; an arm moved by the cam; an auxiliary shaft upon which the arm is mounted; cam members References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS n 1,002,465 spohre'r sept. s, 1911 1,078,127 Coleman Nov. 1l, 1913 2,308,731 White Jan, 19, 1943` 2,605,613 Grebe -T. Aug. 5, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 463,563 

